From the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org):
In its latest attempt to decrease legal immigration, the Trump administration is developing another cruel policy to target immigrant families who need help.
According to a POLITICO report, an increasing number of immigrants—both documented and undocumented—are turning down government aid used to purchase infant formula and healthy food out of fear that the Trump administration could “bar them from getting a green card if they take federal aid.”
Local health providers of WIC (the federal aid nutrition program for pregnant women and children) have reported receiving calls from immigrants of both statuses asking to be purged from their roles out of fear, and at least 18 states have reported up to 20% decreases in WIC enrollment.
A new Center for American Progress analysis provides a timely reminder of the positive impacts that immigration has on the U.S., specifically in rural communities. Some key points:
- Among rural places studied, 1 in 5 places that experienced population growth can attribute the entirety of population growth to immigrants. Immigrants make communities “more stable and resilient to the changes plaguing rural communities such as an aging population and out-migration.”
- Immigrant workers open small businesses, provide health care services, and work in locally important sectors such as meatpacking plants, small manufacturers, and farms.
- Integrating immigrants into rural communities bolsters economic growth for everyone.
In cruelly discouraging immigrants from seeking crucial benefits for fear of reprisal, Trump is fulfilling his anti-immigrant campaign promises—and having a chilling effect on the immigrant community. The impact of this policy will be felt far and wide—even in rural communities who are benefitting from their immigrant residents.
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